Conveying table



Aug-

J. A. MURRAY CONVEYING TABLE File Mar h 1925 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Aug. 31192%.

CONVEYI NG TABLE Filed March 26 l 1925 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 A TORNE Y.

R O T m V m Aug 551 wma. I g gggmg g J A. MURRAY CONVEYING TABLE Fi leMar h 2 1925 3 Sheets-Sheei 5 Patented Aug. 31, 1926.

JOHN A. MURRAY, 0F

1,598,099 FFICE;

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, ASS IGNOR' T O M AILLER' SEARLES, INC., ACORPORATION 01? CALIFURLNI AQ CONVEYING- TABLE.

Application filed March 26, 1925. Serial No, 18,411.

This invention relates to a conveying table, and its object is toproduce a table which is capable of shifting a series of packages fromone end to. the other thereof at a reasonable rate of speed, and with acomparatively small power plant. The power being only sufiicient toshift the packages, and not great enough to support or carry the entireweight of the packages that might accumulate upon the table, H 7

It will be understood by those skilled in the art that where longpackage carrying tables are used, if'an-endless belt carrier is used, atremendous accumulation of weight may be piled upon the belt at timeswhen the load is stopped, the belt sliding under the load, and as thisload increases, the power required to operate the belt necessarilyincreases. unduly, and this is necessary because all of the load must bestarted at one time when one box or package at the discharge end isremoved, from the line.

With the present invention the load is supported by two lines of rollersand a rope is used to shift the packages from one end of the table tothe other. This rope bears upon the underside of the packages with onlysufiicient force to cause an individual package to move, suitablecounter-weights being used to lift the rope high enough to cause it topull the packages, and if a long line of packages is stopped upon therope, it will slide under them, but with no more friction upon the lineof packages than is caused by the several counter-weights, and when onepackage is removed from the end of the line, only one package willstart, and after it is moved a short distance another package willstart, and so on down the en tire line of packages resting upon therope, so that it is possible to use a very small motor in the place ofthe larger motor to drive the ordinary belt conveyer.

Another advantage of this invention lies in the fact that it attains thenecessary results with a very much cheaper construction than is the casewith the usual belt conveyer, which must be fully'support-ed throughout,and which must be of a material capable of sustaining the wear of theentire weight of thepackages, the rope in the present instance onlysustaining the wear due to a force large enough to slide the packagesalong when supported by the rollers.

Another advantage of this invention lies in the fact that the conveyingtable can be level or inclined upwardly at asmall angle if desired,thereby making it possible to.

have the conveyer at the same level, if de-' sired, throughout itsentire length, a very considerable advantage over the ordinary form ofgravity conveyer, inv which thesups ports get higherand higher as thetable isentended.

Another advantage of this conveyer lies in the possibility of using thesame drive to carry the packages around corners, a" grav ity turn. beingused for the packages and idlers for the rope asit passes around thecorner.

Other objects of the invention will appear as the description proceeds.s

An embodiment ot the invention is shown in the accompanying drawings inwhich the same reference numeral is applied to the same portionthroughout, but I amaware that there may be modifications thereof. 1

Fig; 1 is a side elevation of two sections of a long conveyor.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the sections shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a view of one of the showing the position of porting rollers.

Fig. 4: is a side elevation of one of the table supporting frames, and:a portion of one of the side rails.

5 is a sectional view showing one of" the side rails on a larger scale,and also illustrating one of the pressure'rollers.

Fig. 6 is a plan view of one-of the pressure rollers. I

Fig. 7 is a side elevation of a portion of the rail supporting rollersand rope roller at one end of the table.

Fig. 8 is a plan view of the conveying table at the corner.

table frames, one of the end sup- Fig, 9 is a side elevation of the sametable at the corner.-

The table consists of a series of frames for supporting the rails andload, each frame having an angle ironv base 1, legs 2 and 3, a cross bar4, at the top of the legs.- The base and the legs are connected" by thegasket plates 5 and 6-, to'give additional stiifiness, and each of thelegs projects above the top of rail 4. a slight distance to beconnected:

with the side rails 7 and 8. Each side rail is additionally connected toits adjacent: leg member by means of the braces 9 and 10,

err

of'the 'set screws 19.

and each rail is provided with a plurality of holes throughout itsentire length, as

shown in Fig. 4, to support the small rollers weights in alignmentwithrollers 15, and to balance the roller-fairly under the package, one endof the lever is bent around, as

shownra't 2l, andthe bolt 22' passes through the leveron each side ofthe supporting block .23, said block beingconnected to the crossbarby a'U-bolt 24, said U-bolt also supporting the stop plate-25. I 3

At one end of the table there is a shaft 26, carrying the rope pulley27, while at the other end ofthe table-there is a shaft -28, carryingtwo of the rope-pulleys 29, 30. The rope 31 passes over the top of thepulleys 15, which are raised; by the weights high enough to engagethepaekages, while the take-up loop of the rope passes around a pulley32, journalled in the hood 38, and

kept taut by a rope or cable 34, connected" to the foot of one of thetable frames.

In operation the boxes or packages are piled upon-thetablaan effortbeing made to place-them so that they will-ride squarely on the rollers,although they will not run ofiiiunevenly placed, whereupon thepressure'of the rope will cause them to move to one end of the table orthe other, as may be desired, dependingupon which way the rope isoperated,.as the packagespass over the rollers 15,- they' are depressedand they con ti-nue to travel. Y

If the lineof boxes or packages is stopped,

the rop-e continues its travel bearing upon the boxes due to thepressure of thewverghts 18, but without an undue increase inthe loadupon-the motor driving: the rope, and whenever one of the boxes'is takenoti at the endof the line, the boxes will at once start into motion, oneor more at atime,

but in any event themotor cannot be overload-ed, andzonly a small motorisrequired.

Inthis' particular instance power is ap plied to the apparatus bythedrive pulley P on the' shaft 28. i

hereit is desiredto extendtheoperations around-a corner, the side rails7 and S are connected to an adjacent table placed at-an angle'with thefirst tableby means or the curved side rails-7", 8, the curve being ofany; desired degree. 1 These rails said conveyer.

when so extended are provided with the rollers 11, precisely the same asthe other parts of the table and the curved section is given asufficient grade to allow the packages to slidearoundthe same and passon to the straight section without the aid ofthe rope. The rope 81 thenpasses over one of the adjustable pressure rollers 15, which takes theplace of the ,end pressure pulley 27, said pulley being supported insubstantiallyithe same way as the other pulleys 15, after passing overthe pulley 15, the rope then passes over two pulleys 38, 39, which aresupported by cross-bars40, 41, connected to the curved rails 7, 8,at'suoh a point as tobrin'g'the rope in alignment with the pulleys'15,15; These side rails 7, 8, are also braced by means of thejhorizontalmembers 42, 43,-and bymeans of an additional crossbrace 44,,suoh anumber of supporting legs being'used as may be desired. I

In order toprovide for the return of the rope, the plates 40 and 41' aresecured under the plates 40, 41,'and they carry the grooved pulleys 45,46, to receivethe return run of the rope.

It will be seen-that the pulleys-38,39 are just below the level of thetops of the rollers 11, so thatthe rope does not touchthe packages asthey pass around the curve, thisis necessary-to, prevent the packagesfrom being worked-to oneside or the other by the rope, because it cannoteasily be maintained in a central position throughout its entire lengthas it passes around the curve; 7

iVhat I claim is as follows, but various modifications may be made inthe construction shown in the drawings and above particularly describedform, within the purview ofmy invention. l 1. A conveying tablecomprising support: ingframesfpairs of side rails carried there by, aplurality of rollers carried by said rails, a series of movable pulleyssupported at intervals along the rails withtheir highestportion'slightly above the top of the side rails, an endless ropepassing over said'pullys ,'n1eans to regulate the pressure required todepress said pulleys, pulleys at the ends of the side rails, over-whichthe ropepasses, a slack take-up for said rope, and means to drivethesame. 7

2, In a conveying table, a pair of side rails having a curved section, aplurality ofpackage supporting rollers carried by each rail,

an endlessconveyer between the rails, pulleys on substantially verticalaxes to cause the conveyer to pass around the curved section, otherpulleys on substantially horizontal axes at the ends of the conveyingtable to support the conveyer, means to hold said conveyer in contactwith the packages supported'by the rollers in the straight sections ofthe conveying table, and means to drive 3. A conveying table, a pair ofsupporting rails, including a curved section having a suflicient gradeto cause the packages to travel around the same without assistance, anendless conveyer between the rails, means to hold the conveyer incontact with the underside of the packages in the straight sections ofthe table, pulleys to hold the conveyer out of contact with the packagesin the curved section of the table and means to drive the endlessconveyer.

4. A conveying table, comprising a supporting frame, a pair of siderails, spaced rollers mounted on said rails with their top portionprojecting above said rails, an endless rope running over pulleysbetween said rails, said pulleys being mounted on pivoted bars in saidframe, an adjustable weight on said bar adapted to raise said pulleyswith said rope thereon above the tops of said rollers, and means todrive said endless rope.

5. A conveying table comprising a supporting frame, a pair of siderails, spaced rollers mounted on said rails, and adapted to support andallow boxes to be conveyed thereon with a minimum of friction, a drivenendless rope between said rails, said rope being adapted to be pressedup against the b ttom portion of said boxes by means of spaced pulleysmounted to exert a resilient pressure thereon, and means to keep saidrope taut.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand March A. D. 1925.

JOHN A. MURRAY.

